ANTI-SHOUTING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2901, 13 October 1916, Page 4

ANTI-SHOUTING

. « ■■BREACHES OF LAW ALLEGED. The operation of tlie anti- (I shout» ing" rule, forming part of the War Regulations gazetted soma weeks ago, has oeased to be a novelty in. Wellington, and many people appear to have, adapted themselves to tna' new conditions without much difficulty. But it is undoubtedly a fact that many evasions are taking place, and, reports that have reaobed the police suggest that the tendency to disregard the law in this respeot is increasing. This tendency may account, in part, for the recovery that has been noticed in bar takings Bince the severe slump that followed the gazetting of the regulation. Licensees are still suffering Toss, as compared with the conditions of two months ago, but the position, from their point of view, has tended to ini--prove as the weeks passed: Licensees themselves deny that there : is any deliberate evasion of the law on the part of themselves or their employees. Notices drawing attention to the. anti-"6houting" rule are posted conspicuously in most of the bars, and bar attendants have" been . warned against breaches. "The penalties for evasion of the regulations are far.too. severe for us risks," said one licensee yesterday whon the matter was mentioned to him by a Dominion reporter. "The barmaids and barmen have been, told clearly that every.cus-: tomer must pay for bis own drink, and I don't believe the law is broken very often. If it is, the fault is with the public, and not with the hotel staffs. A barmaid cannot always tell whose pocket a coin- came from, and she.cannot play the part of spy in order to find out what customers are saying to one another. If. two men place two coins on the counter, how is she to tell whether or not ons man has supplied both of the coins? I feel sure the bar employees are not encouraging breaches, but I would not say fcb we can always detect them." .